Tiny Core Linux -- A Minimal Distro with Big Possibilities

From Barebones to Customized

March 19, 2009

By
Paul Ferrill

Picking the right Linux distribution for a new task often
comes down to comfort level. We all tend to lean toward things we're familiar
with. So we go with the latest Ubuntu release and make it fit even though it
might not be the best choice for the job. You can bet it will have a lot of
extra baggage you don't really need for something simple like a home file
server.

Tiny Core Linux (TC
Linux) takes a minimalist approach to the base system and then lets you add
just the pieces you need to get your job done. Once you have it configured like
you want it you can then save the configuration to local storage. The core distribution,
based on the Linux 2.6 kernel, is a mere 10 MB. In the end the goal of TC is to
have an ultra small Linux desktop OS capable of booting from CDROM, USB disk or
a minimal sized hard drive. The latest release (1.2) fixes a few bugs and adds
a few new features as well.

Modes of Operation

Tiny Core offers four basic modes of operation with varying
degrees of persistence. The default mode is to boot into RAM and download
applications over the Internet when you need to run them. Everything runs from
RAM so nothing is left behind, including any settings or configuration
information. Minimal hardware requirements include an i486DX processor (486
with math processor) and 32MB of RAM. A Pentium 2 or better processor with 128
MB of RAM is recommended.

Modes two and three consist of using a Persistent Personal
Repository (PPR) with either compressed or uncompressed extensions. The
difference comes from loading applications from RAM (TCE) or from a compressed
file stored in the PPR (TCZ). TCZ extensions use either cramfs or ziofs to
minimize the storage requirements in the PPR. Another advantage of using the
TCZ option is the ability to run applications when you don't have a network
connection.

The final mode is called Persistent Personal Installation
(PPI) and uses the TCE extensions saved to the local drive. Additional
extension codes (l or m) will automatically download and configure libraries or
modules as required along with the dep extension for dependency resolution.
This mode works well with either USB or fixed hard drives. For extra security
you can choose to encrypt the home directory using an encrypted loop back file.

A backup / restore option makes it possible to save your
settings and personal files to a separate device. You'll need to edit the file
/opt/.filetool.lst to add or remove files and directories to save. You can also
explicitly exclude files using another file /opt/.xfiletool.lst. The default is
to backup the entire /home/tc directory unless excluded.